There has never been a time in the history of the United States where people were actively connected. Social media has shaped the social and political culture in a way that could not have been expected. The media of information is no longer narrowed down to the viewer and the reporter. Modern technology has taken this process a step further, encompassing the idea of participatory media. Participatory media essentially centers around “news reporting and the political power involved with destabilizing the one-directional broadcast from a reporter to an audience into a multi-voiced conversation among participants” (Mandiberg, 3). This approach is evident in the United States with the use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Donald …show more content…
This is something that social media advocates proclaim to be one of the most important aspects of the increasing technology. The very foundation of a participatory media prides itself on having an informative audience. Instead of receiving news and information, a person becomes part of the discussion throughout their own thoughts and ideas. Social media is here to stay. Moving forward, it is easily apparent that “social media has officially embedded itself in our culture” (Landry, B2C). Social media has helped a younger generation get more involved in the political landscape. In some cases, social media has benefited minorities in finding a voice in politics. The internet has helped them find easy and informative ways to stay engaged. This is a staple of participatory media. A Washington Post study found that “historically marginalized groups, such as African American and Latino/a young people, can now discuss and get information about issues that affect their lives” (Luttig, Washington Post). The engagement in participatory media does not stop with its citizens, it also is directed at politicians. They are able to, in some cases, cut out the media entirely and speak directly to their constituents via social …show more content…
President Donald Trump is no stranger to twitter. Trump is able to utilize his platform with over 41 million followers (Twitter Analytics). Former Press Secretary Sean Spicer explained that, “the president is the most effective messenger on his agenda and I think his use of social media gives him an opportunity to speak straight to the American people, which has proved to be a very, very effective tool” (Vitali, NBC News). With Trump’s large following, he also has an audience attentiveness score of 71% (Twitter Analytics). The 2016 presidential election showed how effective his use of communication was. Trump was able to stir up several controversies and create a ton of discussion on social media platforms. Although Trump’s twitter use may help start conversations, this new information may not always be accurate. In a PEW Research study of social media discussions around politics, “roughly one-in-five social media users have changed their minds about a political issue or about a candidate for office, because of something they saw on social media” (Duggan, PEW Research Center). The discussion that surrounds the politics of the president creates a network for people to discuss issues. Often, this network is formulated to promote information that is personalized to that user. This “bubble” of information is out of the user’s
In this article Mary Kate Cary opens up with the supreme court decision to not restrict the use of corporate funds in political advertising so that she can make her point that big money ads are not the most effective way for candidates to reach American constituents. She argues that social media is a new way for politicians to connect with citizens. Her five claim are that Americans can now, choose the media they wish to consume, share the media they choose the share, like posts they agree with and dislike posts they do not agree with, connect with others on social media, and donate to candidate campaigns online. With these claims she comes to the conclusion that politicians want to go around mainstream media so that they can connect directly with the voters.
In Nicholas Carr’s article “How Social Media Is Ruining Politics”, Carr writes about the effects that social media has on politics. In his article, Carr focuses more on the negative effect that social media has when it comes to politics. Some points that he makes about social media include specific examples like the recent presidential campaigns, how other technological advances over the years have effected politics, and the effectiveness that social media has on politics
Media finds its central role in the democratic debate in providing information, analysis, and a diversity of perspectives to the public. In recent years, with what is known as a media revolution, the amount of telecommunication outlets has increased dramatically. Often called “a product of healthy market competition,” the media revolution has theoretically expanded the public’s access to a multitude of facts, opinions, and general information (Miroff, et al. 2015). However, with a
When discussing the media, we must search back to its primal state the News Paper. For it was the News paper and its writers that forged ahead and allowed freedoms for today’s journalism on all fronts, from the Twitter accounts to the daily gazettes all must mark a single event in the evolution of media in respects to politics and all things shaping. Moving on in media history, we began to see a rapid expansion around 1990. With more than 50% of all American homes having cable TV access, newspapers in every city and town with major newspaper centers reaching far more than ever before. Then the introduction of the Internet; nothing would ever be the same.
Presently, two hundred million users send upward of 140 million messages per day, 140-character musings studded with misspellings, slang, and abbreviations. Moreover, it includes harsh truths, memes and also lies. But it has become the most important public sphere for a global, inclusive audience. Therefore, social media sphere like twitter that has often been discredited or not valued as real public engagement has actually transformed itself into the most global, inclusive public sphere where the public is able to engage — whether truthfully or not — and to become more aware and reflective. The public informs the state and especially in a situation where the public is as polarized as in the case of the 2016 American elections, social media especially twitter can be a tool by which the public can still engage with each other to be better
The news media and social media affect and influence the political world. The political arena can now be easily accessed through every citizen’s smartphone screens and tablet screens. For instance, Barack Obama became the country’s most Instagrammer-in-Chief (Carr). Obama utilized social media to promote his climate agenda while on his trip to Alaska. He would snap pictures of the landscape and share the pictures on his social media accounts which earned him more than thousands of likes. The media and its political connections play a huge scene in this topic of influence. Since the election of 2008, Obama utilized Facebook to connect with the public (Carr). This year’s 2016 Presidential candidates have been using social media to connect with the public. The media interprets and impact discussions made by the public and its candidates, as well as polling and voting. Obama has paved the path since 2008 in using social media to connect with the public, and Obama has been a pacesetting in this year’s presidential candidates. For example, Senator Ted Cruz often appears on Periscope, Marco Rubio snap videos and pictures on Snapchat at stops along his
“Trump is infamous for his strong rhetoric—which carries over to his tweets. Having over 11 million followers helps Trump get his messages across to the world. In
In the presidential election of 2016, one of the factors the candidates running for office used in their campaign was social media. Social media has rose as a new campaign tool. The candidates of the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump used social media as a means of connecting with voters. In 2016, 44% of U.S. adults reported learning about the 2016 presidential election in the past week from social media.(Pew Research Center) People also reported viewing both Donald, Bernie and Hillary’s posts on social media for new election information and news.
Many of Donald Trump’s tweets are controversial and cause his popularity to fluctuate constantly. Over time, Trump’s social media presence became larger after he announced his campaign for president. Figure 2 illustrates how Trump’s 2015 comments cause a change in his Republican nomination polling. Figure 2: At the beginning of his campaign, Trump’s popularity was only at 5% of the national average but almost 6 months later it increased to 30%.
People go on social media to comment about world related issues and current events. Often times, social media is used for advertisement and for leaders and public officials to interact with their followers. One of the many social media accounts that are used by political campaigns is twitter. Twitter provides a platform for candidates to interact with their voters personally. Twitter is not just about talking but includes listening, responding, and debating as well, since the internal communicative structure of this micro boggling network is not a monologue but a spontaneous, honest, and free dialogue with citizens specifically, those who are considered (Medina and Munoz, 2013).
Social Media has had an impact on politics through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram over the years, which changed how campaigns and how Americans tend to interact with politics. It has made elected officials and candidates for office more accessible for voters having the ability to change content and post it where millions of people can view it within in minutes instantly. Facebook and Twitter is well known for organizing campaigns which allows the candidates to share information faster with their followers. It can also be used for fundraising which allows them to raise money fast in short amount of time for a donation and social media helps get the word out about the fundraiser. Lastly, power allows their supporters to petition for
The changes in social media implied that many people got in touch with the political candidates either directly or indirectly. The people watched their potential leaders of the nation and were able to question them (Mutz 2001).
The popularity of social media and the Obama’s full use of it bring him amount of supporters especially young men. In 2012, Obama continued to use media as his campaign tools. This time he emphasize more attention on it. And in return, media contributed a lot to the success of Obama.
In addition to this primary source, a variety of articles that discuss the use of rhetoric on social media, as well as the use of social media in a political context, will be addressed. Many articles may discuss social media and its implications on society, and privacy, but fewer deliberate the effects social media may have on impacting citizen’s political perspectives. The use of language on social media, especially in younger generations, tends to be rudimentary and as a result may not be adept at representing the issue. This tends to leave the discussion open to personal interpretation and often leads to misinformation. By looking at the use of rhetoric on social media in general, as well as the use of social media for political discussion, I intend to develop and support this theory.
The future of the United States government, policy structure, and elections will evolve around the emerging social media. How well politicians and government officials use the technology could shape the policies of our country.